Tanya Ragir Studio exploring the feminine

14Aug/121

…More of the Same

"Don't let your fears overwhelm your desire. Let the barriers you face--and there will be barriers--be external not internal. Fortune does favor the bold. I promise that you will never know what you're capable of unless you try...Go home tonight and ask yourselves, What would I do if I weren't afraid? And then go do it!"--Sheryl Samberg, Barnard Commencement 2011

 

 

23Jul/120

Big, Bold, and FEARLESS

 

While sculpting “Doubt Kills The Warrior,” I kept returning to the torso and how it held the core of the movement. I was inspired to focus on that part of the piece at a grand scale. I wanted to concentrate on the essence and axis of the movement, illuminating that at the center of everything lays risk, release, and making oneself visible.

Highlighting a small section of a form has been a theme of my work forever. It all comes back to focusing on the quintessence of form, movement, and beauty. The geometric windows in my architectural work, like “Cradle,” “Rolling Hills,” and “Progression of Four” all have been an exploration and variation on this theme.

Cradle

Rolling Hills

Progression of Four

Between the scale and the gesture itself, this piece is really about being fearless (which may ultimately be the title of the piece)—open, exposed, grand and expansive.


More to come...

4Apr/120

When it Rains, it Pours…(this is a good thing)

A LOT has been happening lately! I just won a prestigious award from Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine at the California Art Club's 101st Annual Gold Medal Exhibition for my life size piece Doubt Kills the Warrior -- I procured a new gallery in San Diego called McNabMartin Contemporary Art (MMCA) with the help of my new marketing rockstar, Ryan Crowley -- installed a piece at Pacific Sotheby's International Realty office in San Diego -- AND a beautiful two-page spread was just published in the April issue of American Art Collector ...if I could take a breath, I would...but sculpture and life goes on!!! Here are just a few (a lot) of pictures of the highlights of my last few days:

 

Doubt Kills the Warrior just installed at the Autry National Center - the show is up through April 22nd, 2012

 

The Gala opening Saturday night - a fabulous event

My muse, Sara

Jena (without whom I could do nothing) and my Dad

Mom and Dad

My Team

Here I am receiving my award for excellence in sculpture from Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine - they honored me with an incredible advertising opportunity in their prestigious publication which has national and international distribution

My proud parents

Isn't my fabricator a stud? Thank you Nick Petronzio for everything!

The morning after - the artist brunch

NOW, Chapter 2

Here's my new Gallery  MMCA, in Little Italy in San Diego. Make sure if you're there, drop and and visit, it's a beautiful space with a wonderful owner and staff

Ryan is 6'5" just to give you sense of scale - each one of these pieces is ceramic and weighs about 75 lbs - it was a fun installation

Through the Fire could not have found a better new home

Relaxing after the installation, with Pat McNabb Martin

And relaxing with Jena and Ryan - my TEAM!!!

Another good day...

 Here's another quickie - also in San Diego

I installed one of my all-time favorite pieces, Rolling Hills, at Pacific Sotheby's

It's a difficult piece to install, everything went smoothly, they loved it, and it's terrific exposure

and LASTLY, I am THRILLED to share a beautiful two-page editorial in American Art Collector, in the April 2012 issue

So Thank You Everyone who came to the Autry or saw my facebook posts and congratulated me (or those who didn't know about it but would have) -

 

 

9Sep/110

Paint on Clay

In the past few months I have been experimenting with different ways of dealing with ceramic surface.  I've often been dissatisfied-as have my students-with the outcome of glaze.  It can be too glossy, cover too much texture in the surface, and can be unreliable.  Here are some recent pictures of my own and student pieces with acrylic polymer patinas and oil paint.  I've also been experimenting with ceramic materials like terra sig, engobes, and mason stains.  Those pictures are still to come.

Here's my own piece...a small one of Sara...

Here's my student Molly and I standing around her newly painted torso...

These next three pieces were made by my student Marsh Drucker, who's been experimenting a lot with paint, and getting some fabulous results!

For anyone interested in taking a class, new 8-week sessions are starting at the beginning of October at the following times:

Saturdays 10:30am-2:30pm

Wednesdays 6:00pm-10:00pm

Thursdays 10:30am-2:30pm

For more about classes, check out my Sculpture Classes site and join my Facebook studio group!